“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.’”

Numbers 21:8 (NKJV)

There are many pictures of Jesus in the Old Testament, but few so clear as the one we see today.

Because the Edomites would not let the children of Israel pass through their land, they had to take a detour. As they went back the way they came, the people’s hearts became very discouraged, and they complained against God and against Moses. The Hebrew word translated “discouraged” can also be translated “impatient”. Like children who aren’t getting their way, the Israelites threw a temper tantrum. This time God sent fiery (poisonous) serpents that began to bite the people, and many of the people died. I remember hearing a sermon on this passage by A.E. Wilder Smith, a British scientist and prolific writer. He said, “Whenever we become impatient, we get bitten by the serpent.”

Once again the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed. God told him to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole. Whoever was bitten, if he looked up at the serpent, he would live. What an amazing miracle! A person who was dying only needed to look up in faith and be healed. Do you think there were some people who disbelieved and thought this was too good to be true?

Centuries later, Jesus had a conversation with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Jesus told him that unless he was born again, he could not see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Then Jesus said:

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

John 3:14-16 (NKJV)

Just as the look of faith healed the people in the wilderness from the deadly effects of the serpent’s bite, so the look of faith to Jesus heals us from the deadly and eternal consequences of sin. What an amazing picture of Christ! What a wonderful salvation!

Has impatience with life’s circumstances caused you to be “bitten by the serpent”? Have you tried to manage this yourself rather than looking up to Jesus in faith? How might Christ’s victory over Satan and willingness to forgive affect your life?

Thanks for reading. I’m glad you’re here. 😊

Gemini Generated Image